Washingtonville Heritage

There is an old railway bed that was active in the 19th century that is long since abandoned. The tracks and the wooden ties have long since been removed. These days, it is one of the best kept secrets as the locals use it as a hiking trail. I try to enjoy the solitude and peace on the trail as often as possible. You can hike a pretty good distance as this rail bed goes from Blooming Grove NY to New Windsor. When it was an active railway, it would take you all the way to Newburgh.

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You can still see some of the old railroad mileposts although most are gone now, some still remain. Since this line traverses the Moodna Creek multiple times, the old tressels are still intact. Cross with care as many of the old railties that have remained are rotted. You will pass beautiful corn fields and get a chance to see some of the local wildlife if you are lucky. The old Erie Depot in Washingtonville was one of the stops which handled much of the Borden Creamery & Sheffield Farms products, feed dealer, lumberyard, passenger depot, elevated freight house and a five track stub ended yard that was used to terminate passenger trains. Sadly, most of this is gone now with the exception of a small portion of the Borden Creamery building now used as a bus garage and a portion of the Passenger Depot now know as the Corner Candle Store.